


Toy Boats

by awildneko



Series: B.A.P Bingo Challenge Works [1]
Category: B.A.P
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4228800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildneko/pseuds/awildneko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongup has many memories that remain close to his heart, even as time passes by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toy Boats

Jongup’s fingers tapped out a steady rhythm of the song currently playing in the shop he worked at. It was a little seaside store, boasting an array of trinkets and souvenirs that attracted tourists and families whom had come to the beach for the day, or often for longer. A soft sigh escaped the man’s lips, lifting his sandy coloured bangs away from his eyes with its breeze. He really needed to get them cut soon. 

The shop had been quiet today, with only a few young girls staying around long enough to make a purchase. One of them had made an obvious attempt at flirting him, to which Jongup had responded with just a polite smile. He didn’t want to get her hopes up, to make her think that there was a chance that something could happen between them. The sooner he made that obvious, the less likely it was that someone would get hurt.

He’d moved out to the coast about two years ago, and was planning to hopefully stay there for a few more years before he set out for a new and distant location. Five years had always been his limit, and he would never risk staying in a single place for any longer than that. It had always been that way, ever since the first time that the shopkeeper had gathered all his belongings and jumped home to a new town.

Fingertips paused mid-beat as Jongup’s thoughts began to stray back to that time. Had it already been 12 years since then? The time passed by at varying speeds, just like water flowing around a river bend, but still he’d been unable to forget. The image of his former lover was saved like the perfect photograph in a part of his memory that he could not, _would not_ , be able to erase it from.

_Eyes sparkling a delicious shade of coffee in the sunlight; delicate hands that felt so soft and gentle whenever they reached to touch him; a tall man with a toned but slim outline and flashy red hair…he said it made him easier for Jongup to find in a crowd; and those lips…whether forming a smirk full of unspoken mischief or a beaming gummy smile, both brought an instant reflection to Jongup’s features._

Over the years that same image had become one of torture. He always found himself wide awake the darkness, wondering, had Jongup taken away all of that happiness away with him when he left?

The man shook his head, both in frustration at himself and in an attempt to make the thoughts disappear. He’d had no choice but to leave at that time, to protect both of them…he’d only been prolonging the inevitable. And wasn’t he now trying to move on from it all?

The small bell atop the door chimed, signalling the entrance of another customer into the shop. Jongup was glad for the distraction, especially when he noted that the new customer had brought a kid with them. They always provided an interesting slice of entertainment. The boy was no more than six, maybe seven years old, probably on a beach trip with his family, and as he ran up and down the aisles the shopkeeper could tell that the boy’s keen eyes had already taken an interest in the wooden boats Jongup had set out on display earlier. It was proof that Jongup really had a good eye for-

“Jongup?”

_Wait..what?_

It had been so long since he’d last heard it, and it had gotten deeper over time, but there was no mistaking the owner of that voice. The photograph slipped to the forefront of his mind once again. 

But it couldn’t really be, could it? Out of all the unlikely coincidences, out of all the miracles, both wondrous and chaotic, could _he_ really be here?

Seconds passed by and Jongup still had not moved, a state of disbelief capturing him and causing a loss of control over his own self.

If he hadn’t reacted by freezing suddenly like this, then Jongup probably could have gotten away with shaking off the curious call of his name, however as it was now that was no longer an option. He had to say something. For once he was glad that he’d allowed his bangs to grow out, so that now the man could not see the scandalised look in his eyes.

“No…I-I’m err…his nephew.” He eventually managed, mentally cussing himself for the lameness of his answer. It was highly unlikely that anyone would believe that panicked answer. He slowly forced his eyes upwards, only to met eyes with him. His earlier suspicions were confirmed: the man before him was Bang Yongguk.

_Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god-_

“Who’s asking?” Jongup asked, somehow managing to refrain from speaking the name that settled so familiarly at the tip of his tongue as he gazed upon the man he had once loved. 

“My name’s Yongguk.” The other confirmed.

Jongup wanted to cry. This whole thing was utterly ridiculous, like one of those bad dreams that seemed too close to reality for comfort. He subtly pinched the flesh below his elbow. Yongguk remained where he was.

He looked older no – his once bright red hair were now the neutral shade of his natural hair colour, and the smile lines and markings of age on his face more pronounced than they used to be. His eyes still held that same sparkle, only now there were more tales to his story. He looked around the right age to be a parent. On the other hand Jongup couldn’t say that he’d aged at all.

As if reading his thoughts, the young boy from before reappeared between Yongguk and the checkouts. “Appa, can we get one..please?” He was holding one of the wooden boats he’d been gawking at.

Now that Jongup looked more closely, he could see that the child’s curious eyes and soft nose resembled those of his father.

When Yongguk was too slow in responding, the boy turned to the shopkeeper, a small frown appearing on his lips. “Appa, why does that man look the same as the one in your photobook?” another shocker to add to today’s list of chaos. Both Jongup and the boy’s dad paled, and the shopkeeper could only watch on as Yongguk effortlessly pulled his son up into a carrying position. Jongup had always known that Yongguk would make a great dad, but now that he saw it right in front of him, he had to admit there was a pang of envy and longing that spread across his chest. The boy was looking back at Jongup with the same coffee brown eyes that he’d inherited from his father’s side, and the shopkeeper found it impossible to look away from the surreal reality. 

It was Yongguk that seemed more flustered however, visible in his eyes even underneath the calm front he put up in front of his child. Jongup could still read him like that he supposed.

“I’m so sorry about this, it’s just that you look alike, I mean really alike, to how Jongup used to. My son must have picked up on that too.” Yongguk explained as he comforted the child, placing forward the toy boat on the checkout so that he could buy it.

Jongup went through the motions of scanning the item and taking the man’s payment, concentrating so that he did not flinch when their hands brushed as cash was exchanged. It was better for him to remain quiet like this, or else he might lose the last threads of his composure and reveal everything to Yongguk. He’d kept it a secret to protect everyone for so long, there was no use in sharing it now when the other had somehow managed to move on with his life.

“Jongup and I were really close, we met each other at high school and were just like family.” Yongguk continued, the shopkeeper beginning to feel more and more as if he didn’t want to hear anymore.

“A lot of things happened back then, and we lost touch. I’ve.. always wondered what happened to him afterwards – do you know, is he doing well?”

Jongup nodded, but he felt numb, eyes sinking to the wooden toy he was currently wrapping. He shaped his mouth into a small smile, trying his best to flash Yongguk a look of reassurance when he raised his head again. “He’s doing well.”

There were a few moments of quiet between them as Jongup finished wrapping the toy and handed it back across, feeling the other’s burning gaze on him throughout. 

It soon became apparent however, that Yongguk wasn’t done yet. “If you happen to see him at all, could you please pass on a message for me?” By now the boy had climbed down from his dad’s arms, and was already dashing excitedly out of the shop with his new toy.

Once he was gone, Yongguk leaned down next to Jongup, so close that he could whisper against the shell of his ear. “Please, tell him that I feel no hard feelings towards him, and that I still treasure every memory we shared. I wish him well.” Their sudden proximity had Jongup flushing a bright shade of red, and he couldn’t deny that his expression probably looked exactly the same as it did all those years ago when Yongguk would tease him and call him ‘cute’. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d changed that much since then.

As Yongguk left the shop, Jongup’s cheeks were left burning still, the words spoken seeming to lift an invisible weight off his chest.

Though each of them could no longer see the other’s face, a gentle smile was mirrored on both their lips as they parted for the last time.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Magically De-aged prompt for the challenge, though it does stray a bit from the prompt..(oops). I ended up going down the immortality route (although the whole drabble is a bit ambiguous, I hope this part comes across through the little hints throughout?). You never know, I could one day write a prequel to this showing the time when Yongguk and Jongup were together hehe.
> 
> Please be kind, as this is my first work in about two years! Any feedback would still be appreciated <3


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